The Stewardship of Salvation
In recent months I have written a couple of articles for The Moravian, efforts to have members of our congregations think a bit more broadly about stewardship. On the eve of our November 13th Festival of Christ the Chief Elder, I am drawn to offer another thought about (arguably) the single most important gift we have received from God that we are also asked to give.
It was a 3 a.m. phone call. I had been a local church pastor long enough to have had a couple of those calls. It was not what I expected as the charge nurse on the second floor of the local nursing home first apologized and then asked, “Will you come in to see Mr. ‘Jones’?” He wanted to see me as soon as possible.
I did not know Mr. Jones. He did not know me. He simply saw me walk by his room once or twice a month on my way to see other people. He knew only that I was a local pastor. I knew him to be the “old man” who nurses reluctantly took turns caring for, a man who was hardly pleasant, rarely offering a kind word to those who would enter his room. I had heard his rants and raves a time or two, and now this man was asking for me.
It would have been understandable if I chose not to go. It would have been understandable if I chose to “get around to it” later in the day. There was something in the request at that hour that captured me, so I rose, dressed, and drove over. When I stood in his doorway, a private room because no other patient would stand being with him for more than a week, he demanded me to close the door and sit. There was not even a word of greeting. He asked, “Can I be forgiven?” I said, “Yes!” He snapped back, “I do not want any of your religious %^&#$! Can I be forgiven?” I replied, “Mr. Jones, do you need to talk to me?”
For the next 2 hours he told me his life story. I must admit that I was a bit stunned at more than one point because of people he had alienated and bridges he had burned. He was lonely. He was sad. He was frightened. He was reaching out. “Can a man like me be forgiven… by God?”
It was then that I did what I have not done often enough in my years of believing or in my years of being a pastor. I introduced him to Jesus. Oh, I speak about Jesus all the time, but mainly to those of the Church and to those who already know Jesus. I call myself a “nurturer” of the faithful.
Mr. Jones was different. He knew the name Jesus, but knew little else. He had never been offered the opportunity to hear words of grace and salvation. He knew of Christmas and Easter, but he did not know the Christ of Christmas and Easter. He listened with a look on his face that I will never forget. As we came to the end of our conversation, he simply asked, “Will you pray for me?” I did. After the “Amen,” I left.
It was later that morning that I got a call at my office. Mr. Jones had died. I was not being asked to do anything. Arrangements had been made for the care of his body and burial. I do not know any details. I simply know this, when the day comes that I cross the threshold of this life and enter the next, I believe Mr. Jones will be there waiting for me. A smile will be on his face. He will greet me, maybe even with a hug.
Although I feel good about that experience, I also feel sad that for so long I just passed by his room never even thinking about entering his door. I knew him to be one who people spoke about more than spoke to. If he had not invited me into that room, perhaps he would have died never knowing Jesus. If he had not invited me, he would have died…empty.
As Moravians, we are proud to call ourselves an evangelical people. At the heart of biblical stewardship is the simple fact that we are to give to others what God has first given to us. It’s pretty simple. Where in our present theology and practice is the stewardship of salvation?
We read in scripture,
“Christ says, ‘Anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” (John 5:24)
“It is the will of the Father that all may believe in Him and have eternal life.”(John 10:10)
Even within Moravian circles the debate goes on about what such verses really mean. We all believe that salvation is a foundational piece of our theology, but we do not all believe that we are called and even commanded to be evangelical as our Church at one time was. Some would argue in the universal salvation of all people because of the death and resurrection of Christ. Some would argue that Christ comes by His spirit to each person, and that the Church is to be there to welcome and nurture those who “seek.” Some would say it is the charge of all believers to enter as many doors as possible and, as we form relationships with people, make it a point to introduce them to the saving love of God in Jesus Christ.
What is correct? For me it comes down to a 3 a.m. phone call. I still wonder what would have happened if I said “no” or “later.”
Back in mid-September, Pope Benedict XVI was visiting France. In one talk he had with young people, he urged them to not be afraid. He urged them to speak about Jesus at home, with friends, at school, and on the playground. Within French society where there is a proud secular division between the Church and State, often the name and story of Christ is silent. As a stewardship guy, I heard the Pope say, “God gave it. You have it. You know it. Give it. It is a biblical command. Take the message of the stewardship of salvation into the streets… and nursing homes.”
So, from the pen of one who thinks in stewardship terms quite a lot, and who most often thinks of time, abilities, and money, I pause to think of a broader understanding. What is your stewardship of salvation?
